Are the Pensioners Revolting?

The grey vote is often assigned wholesale to the Tories - the old, we are told, are inherently conservative, natural backers of austerity, unwilling to take any cuts to their own benefits to help the young. Yet this may not be the case.

In the dampened light of an overcast spring Saturday, I watched two figures stride past the bust of Nelson Mandela at the side of the Royal Festival Hall. They were the vanguard of the 'Defend London's NHS' protest which had gathered at the foot of the stairs just south of the statue. They clutched the same 'Keep the NHS public' placard as the young girl in ripped jeans hovering near by, but in her natty bright pink rain coat and low heeled sandals the lady and her overcoated husband a few steps behind were maybe five decades older.

The grey vote is often assigned wholesale to the Tories - the old, we are told, are inherently conservative, natural backers of austerity, unwilling to take any cuts to their own benefits to help the young. They must be promised winter fuel and be saved from the 'granny tax' to ensure their backing - which, as 76% of over 65s voted in the last election, far out stripping the youth vote, is indispensable.

Politicians and their parties too often patronise the old, homogenising them and resorting to dropping in 'traditional' buzz words or policies to secure this demographic. Labour needs to remember that you can gain grey votes with promises to help close the wealth gap, and the Tories need to not assume that all OAPs are chomping at the bit to run off to UKIP.